Getting Your Gas for Free
Recently, we have seen a frightening rise in gas prices. Even when they seem to be falling, they just don’t seem to fall far enough. This has led to many types of gas rebate credit cards offered by credit card issuers.
There is something that you can do to offset the gas prices that you have no control over, and that is to take advantage of those rebates. If you use better spending habits at the pump, then credit cards can give you back something in return for filling your tank. You may be able to save money on high gas prices by comparing rebate, gas, or reward programs from credit cards.
While gas cards may seem like the best bargain, keep in mind that if you get a card from a specific gas company, you will only get the rewards if you pay their price for gas. You may want to try buying your gas from grocery stores such as Tom Thumb, Vons, Safeway, Kroger, or Albertsons. Price clubs such as Costco and Sam’s Club also offer less expensive gas options. There are also gas stations like Racetrack or Sheetz where you can save more than you would going to a big-name gas station. Taking the time to detour down the street to save a few cents per dollar on gas can really add up by the end of the year.
If you use a regular credit card to pay for your gas instead, you may find some real benefits, not the least of which is the ability to buy your gas where it is least expensive. There are a few gas credit cards that offer great gas rebates of up to 3%, which is real cash back in your wallet. With these cards, you may even be able to apply that rebate directly to your credit card bill. This, in effect, can mean free gas for you.
With gas prices still lingering high enough to remind us of the frightening three dollar mark they hit not too long ago, there are some tips that you can benefit from in addition to using your credit card to save money.
You can also cut your fuel consumption if your car is set on cruise control to help cut down on revving up the engine and making the gas peddle fluctuate. This will keep your gas mileage lower, causing you to use less gas, and therefore buy less. You should also keep the tires inflated and balanced regularly and make sure that you rotate your tires about every 3,000 miles. The more smoothly your car rides, the more efficiently it will burn gas. This is why it also helps to keep the maintenance up on your car. Simply changing your oil and filter regularly can keep gas costs down.
You should also be careful never to overfill your tank. Gas that splashes out is simply wasted. You can also save on gas consumption by not using air conditioning too much if you are sitting in traffic, as this can be hard on your engine and cost you in gas. Another way to save on your total gas bill is to buy the lowest grade octane that is recommended by your owner’s manual, because it will also be less expensive than the higher grades.
The best way to save on gas expenses is to put some thought into developing good gas habits. Perhaps the easiest of these is to pay at the pump using the credit card that will give you the most back when you pay.